Libby H. Koolik (she/her) is a PhD student in Environmental Engineering, researching air pollution policy interventions in environmental justice communities in California. Originally from South Florida, she received her B.S. in Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences and her M.Eng. in Environmental Engineering at MIT before moving to Berkeley in 2018 to work as an environmental consultant in the Bay Area. Now at Berkeley, she works at the intersection of air pollution science, data science, and public health to determine key policy mechanisms for advancing equitable air quality. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, baking vegan treats, and playing with her two cats.
Archives: Explorers
Carlos Ng Pitti
Carlos is from Panama City, Panama and he is a currently a PhD candidate in the UCSF-UC Berkeley Joint PhD Program in Bioengineering. Carlos received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Bioengineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago where he worked at developing microfluidic systems for the isolation of circulating tumor cells and characterizing bubble removal systems. Following graduation, Carlos worked at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University where he developed a scalable fabrication method for microfluidic organ-on-chips and contributed identifying mechanisms to chemically induce a state of biostasis.
In the Fletcher Lab at Berkeley, Carlos current research involves developing CRISPR-based diagnostics platforms for infectious diseases such as SARS-CoV-2, HIV and lymphatic filariasis. In his free time, Carlos enjoys riding his road bike through the Berkeley hills, playing soccer, and going out for salsa dancing.
Michelle Yu
I am a PhD candidate in the statistics department. My current research aims to improve gridded data products for snow water equivalent (water quantity in snow). Since snowmelt is a vital resource for meeting freshwater and agricultural demands, understanding the amount of water that snow will yield each year is essential for short- and long-term planning. Through my work, I hope to support water resource managers in making more informed decisions on water allocation, irrigation practices, and flood and drought control to ensure that communities have access to dependable supplies of food and water and are protected against snow-related hazards.
Sahana Krishnan
Sahana Krishnan received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) in May of 2018. After graduating, she spent three years working at Texas Instruments (TI), architecting industry power solutions as part of TI’s commitment to making technology smaller, more efficient, and more reliable. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) with a research emphasis on 48 V to point-of-load DC-DC hybrid switched-capacitor converters in automotive applications. This research has been motivated by her desire to utilize her industry experience to inform academic research direction and reduce the timeline from research investigation to industry adoption. Outside of research activities, Sahana enjoys singing and playing the piano, hiking in Northern California, and exploring the Bay Area through local coffee shops!
Stephanie Brener
Stephanie Brener is a Bioengineering PhD student with an MSc in Computational Neuroscience from the Weizmann Institute and a BSc in Bioengineering from Rice University. In her MSc, she used machine learning and deep learning to leverage electronic olfaction for human biometric identification from ear odor. In her PhD, she is investigating mechanisms of apathy in the brain of Parkinsonian patients and identifying adaptive deep brain stimulation protocols that could help ameliorate those behavioral symptoms. Outside of the lab, Stephanie pursues artistic and musical endeavors through fiber arts and crochet, painting, dancing, playing violin in a symphony orchestra, and arranging musical compositions for a cappella. She loves growing her rock collection, taking care of her plants, and expressing herself through music.
Niroshan Anandasivam
Originally from South Texas, Niroshan is a fourth-year Bioengineering PhD candidate and NSF GRFP Fellow at UC Berkeley. He conducted his undergraduate studies in Chemical and Biological Engineering at Princeton University, where he spent significant time researching how the extracellular matrix environment of tumor cells impacts cancer progression and metastasis. In the Delcassian Lab at Berkeley, Niroshan conducts research at the interface of immunoengineering and mechanobiology. His current focus lies on engineering T cells to have enhanced function and improved persistence in cancer immunotherapies. Specifically, Niroshan aims to uncover how the mechanical microenvironment of T cell activation can influence T cell expansion and phenotype through adhesion receptor interactions. In his free time, Niroshan enjoys running down the Ohlone Greenway, creating ceramic pieces at the Berkeley Art Studio, and cooking his kitchen.
Joy Chen
Joy grew up in the midwest and received her B.S. in Bioengineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is currently a rising 3rd year in the UC Berkeley – UCSF Graduate Program in Bioengineering and an NSF Graduate Research Fellow. In the Sohn Lab, her research focuses on studying breast cancer and immune cell interactions using microfabricated platforms. She is interested in deciphering the questions surrounding breast cancer progression and how immune cells can be leveraged to combat it. In her free time, she enjoys to play golf, go hiking, and take care of her plants!
Yu Shan
Yu, who is from Yunnan, China, received his bachelor’s degree in Material Science and Engineering from University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. Supervised by Prof. Peidong Yang, Yu is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at UC Berkeley. His research centers on converting CO2, a greenhouse gas, into valuable chemicals and fuels through electrochemical means. This research direction bears immense potential for sustainable and renewable energy development, reducing the emitted CO2, and lessening reliance on fossil fuels—an essential response to today’s climate change. To unlock groundbreaking insights, Yu employs state-of-the-art operando characterization techniques to investigate the interactions within the microenvironment along the CO2 conversion pathway, which holds great significance for advancing the catalyst design.
Mathias Weiden
I am a fourth year Computer Science PhD student at UC Berkeley. I study ways to optimize and implement programs for noisy quantum computers. Specifically, my research focuses on uncovering ways that machine learning can be leveraged to do various quantum program compilation tasks. These tasks range from finding minimal representations of quantum circuits, to ensuring that programs conform to restrictive, modern hardware. I am originally from the state of North Carolina. In my free time, I enjoy reading, college basketball, and the sport of powerlifting.
Yuancong Gou
My research revolves around Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS)—a technology that transforms fiber-optic cables into dense seismic arrays. Its application in submarine cables can improve real-time earthquake detection and earthquake early warning (EEW), while also providing finer insights into the interaction between ocean waves and the solid earth.